Merlin- The Return
by Marckzzz
Summary: After waiting for a millennial Merlin is approached by a stranger who promises he can give him what he wants the most, his beloved king and all of his old friends, but at what price? The stranger claims that Albion's time of greatest need is near and this time around the whole universe is at stake, will Merlin accept the responsibilities or say no to a chance to see his king again?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story ever so please don't be too rough on me. Also, though English is my favorite language, it is also my second so I expect this to be far from perfect. Please send me a lot of reviews so that the next chapters will be even better. Love you all.

"Another day" this is the first thought that strikes me as I wake up in some dark alley inside some dirty box. This same thought accompanies me in my waking hour every day, I thought that I would eventually tire of it, that one day I would wake up and my first thought would be something more... cheerful or even something slightly different but I suppose I'm beyond help after all this time.

Time to start my daily routine. Even though I sleep in a different dark corner every night to avoid attention, it comes as no surprise that I can easily find my way around this place since I saw the whole city as it was built from the ground up. As they do every day my legs take me to the lake that once bore the name Avalon but is now an unknown body of water surrounded by one of the Cities of this new world. As I walk by I dare not look at the island directly, experience has taught me that every time I do nightmares will haunt my normally dreamless nights and it is not a welcomed experience when the old ghosts in my mind make themselves known at night, dealing with them in my every single hour of consciousness is more than enough. Since I don't "feel" anything has changed I walk on to my next destination.

The library has been my sanctuary since one was built close enough for me to visit, of course I don't know exactly how long ago that was, a couple of lifetimes maybe? I don't keep track of time, it would be an unnecessary habit for me and maybe, just maybe, I'm a little afraid to do so... afraid... No, that is not the right word, afraid would indicate that I can actually feel it, I believe that reluctant would be more like what I'm trying to express since it indicates thought process rather than feelings. You see, I am unable to process feelings any more. Don't get me wrong, my senses are perfectly fine, I dare say even better than most humans even without magic, so I can "feel" things around me perfectly fine. On the other hand feelings like happiness, sadness, fear, or even relief are beyond me, I thought about this for quite a while after it happened and the only explanation I could come up with was that it was some kind of defense mechanism, was it because of my Magic or some kind of psychological mechanism? I don't know.

Psychological mechanism, that's one of the new things I've learned on the library, one of the things I have learned in all this time is that I can collect amounts of information that are humanly impossible and I can read the largest tome in this place in less than half an hour. I have read every book in this place but since they installed public computers I have been able to access this wonderful realm called the internet, the amount of information I can access is practically infinite so I keep my reading materials purely scientific. How far does my collection of information go? Well, I can't possibly claim to know all there is to know but with the right materials I could build a last model jet or even a particle accelerator, I could also have an intelligent conversation with almost any scholar of any field.

But it is just that, an immense collection of facts that I keep filed on my head, I don't think about it, I don't analyze it, I don't even try to put the information together to form new things. It is just a pastime, like putting stamps on a book, you never go back and see the stamps again, you just keep putting new ones inside. So why do I keep doing this if I find it so pointless? Simple, my old ghosts, when I said my feelings were locked away you might have thought that I didn't have to deal with my past and the effects it had on me any more, well, so did I, and I too was wrong.

When this defense mechanism kicked in I was on the verge of madness, I was being eaten alive by so many dark things inside me, so many ghosts, guilt, shame, anger, regret, and so many other, but above all sadness, so much overwhelming sadness for so many things. Now that I think about it those strong feelings might have been because of my new ability to contain things perfectly in my mind. Well, I was about to be crushed when it all just shut down, one moment I was about to claw my heart out convinced that it was all my fault and the other it was all gone, all that was left was peace, a comfortable emptiness. For a few weeks it was perfect, I just lay there in the middle of the forest, only getting up to do my daily walk near Avalon, getting back and just laying there, looking at the effect the passing of time had around me. For a while there I thought that I could just repeat this and lay there every day until the appointed time but then the memories started coming out from the back of my mind.

And it wasn't bad at all, I could go over all my memories as if watching a movie and feeling absolutely nothing of it, I could just watch and put myself on everyone's shoes. That was when I understood what had really happened, why things had gone as wrong as they did at the time, I understood so I thought I was at peace with it, that when my ability to feel came back my old ghosts would be at peace and quiet at last. I was wrong, my feelings never came back and I learned that my ghosts were far stronger than I had given them credit for, when they found they could not pull down my consciousness into their fiery hell they just turned to burn my body. At first it started as a simple ache, it's a bit humorous because I first thought that maybe my body was actually turning the age that I made it look like, that I was feeling the aches of an old person. But the pain increased, from a dull ache to a billion daggers being stabbed all over my body all at once every single second, the first day that it was starting to be so agonizing I could not even stand up I had to slowly drag myself to the shores of Avalon, and there I screamed and cried as the pain took control, unfortunately the place was still deserted back then, if it hadn't been someone might have taken mercy and put me out of my misery.

I don't know how long I spent like that but I'm sure it was a long while, eventually I accepted the pain, I realized that it was so unbearable because I wanted it to be, that this was the replacement i got for my feelings, that somehow this was a small way of atoning, a self-inflicted punishment that my subconscious had provided, and once I realized there was no escape from this it became bearable enough for me to act as if the pain was not there. I have lived the past millennium with this pain reminding me every day of my past, when I sleep I can escape this punishment for a few hours and when my mind is busy with something else the pain becomes more of a buzz in the background hence my precious habit.

My next stop for today is a homeless shelter, I stop by this place at least once a week to get something in my stomach and put some leftovers in the satchel I carry around just in case anything happens. Something else that I have discovered on this long wait is that I don't need to eat to survive; this became very useful during the long winters I had to live through while being in the forest. My magic kept me warm but when I realized that I would not find any food in the frozen lands I thought I was going to finally die until I realized my magic was keeping me alive, when my magic found no nutrient to feed off of in my body it started extracting energy from my surroundings. I survived many storms thanks to this and even lived for years without taking anything to eat. There is one disadvantage to this trick, when it gets to the point where I am using the energy around me to survive I become weaker than a grown adult, I can't use any magic, and my ghosts bother me more than usual, I don't like feeling vulnerable so I feed myself using these shelters.

As I step into the line no one takes notice of me but some look at me with a confused look on their faces. With my homeless looks and a bit of help from my magic I normally make sure no one notices me, but it looks like I seem a bit too dirty and I'm starting to smell a little rancid, no wonder the librarian's nose wrinkled when I passed her by. I'll need to take a bath at the lake and wash my clothes. I eat but no pleasure comes from it, sure I can taste everything in the stew and could probably tell you exactly how it was made, but there is no reaction to it in my brain.

I go back to the library and spend the rest of the evening entertaining myself to keep away the ghosts. As the library closes I am off to find a place to rest, I find the same cardboard box from the last two nights and decide to use it today, I'll throw it out tomorrow and try to find a new one, this one has too much dirt in it and will undo the bath I am planning to take. I drag the dirty box to a new dark corner, squeeze inside and prepare myself for some hours of relief from this cruel reality. As I go deeper and deeper into unconsciousness the last thought that visits my mind is "Another night, how many more?"

-xxxxx-xxxxx-

Just as Merlin finally fell asleep, on the other end of town, in one of the newer, fancier buildings of the city, a red door with a metal dragon head on the center opened and a tall figure cloaked in fabric so dark and fluid it practically looked like shadows stepped through.

-Are you sure this place is our best bet?- asked the cloaked figure into the dead of the night

- This is where the old Avalon lays. If we are to find him we will find him here, of that I have no doubt- the owner of this new, distorted but powerful voice was nowhere to be seen and yet the cloaked figure showed no sign of surprise. He nodded and walked into the night seemingly becoming one with the shadows around him, the last words that could be heard were:

- Let's hope so... For all our sakes-


	2. Chapter 2

Hello there. I hope you like this chapter but if you do find any big flaw please leave it in the reviews or PM me about it, I'll do my best to fix it. Thanks, love you all.

This last week has been weird, in the last millennia there haven't been many changes in my world, of course, I don't take the ever changing human world to be part of mine since I'm not really part of theirs. But this last week my senses have been going haywire, since I took that bath not too long ago I thought I would start becoming unnoticed again, and indeed people around me don't look at me for more than a second and there is never a second glance. Yet, I can't shake this "feeling" that there is someone watching me, the problem is that when I look around either no one is watching me or there is nobody around to actually be watching me. I have thought of using my magic to find if someone is actually watching me but I have only used my magic since that day for things that come out instinctively like keeping myself alive or unnoticed, I haven't really "used" my magic, haven't really given it any command for it to fulfill, so I don't know what might happen if I do. Well, I guess all I can do for now is ignore that tingling in the back of my neck.

Later in the library I felt it again but still decided to pay it no mind, at that time I was sitting in one of the tables going over some of the new books that had arrived on the library earlier that week. Suddenly I felt that tingling feeling become more of a shiver down my spine and knew that I was about to meet this mysterious stalker that could hide so well, that was when I heard footsteps coming from behind me, a place where there should have been nothing more than shelves of books because I had not seen anyone walk that way all morning. Before I could turn around a figure covered in a dark cloak stepped around me and sat on the chair across the table, facing me. Before I could see the figure's face the first thought that popped into my head was that the attire was odd on this modern times, from what I had seen on the streets people now used much more colorful clothes than in my times and it has been centuries since I had seen anyone in a full cloak rather than one of those coats that are used nowadays. Once the stranger was seated he stared into my eyes with an uncanny intensity, not being one to be easily intimidated I stared right back with my old, wary face. The strange was handsome, messy blond hair, sea- blue eyes, and very sharp features on a body that, by what I could see, could be anywhere between 19 and 21 years old, overall a very pleasing person to look at. But to me this was just another face, as unfamiliar and alien as anyone else I passed by on the street, a face that would fade from my memory the moment we parted ways.

My intention was to chase this young man away even if I had to make sure whatever fixation he had on me was utterly destroyed, I would do this by causing a big scene and acting like a cranky old man, by the way I looked at that moment the charade would be absolutely believable and hopefully the young man would be shocked enough by my rudeness to never seek me out again. But before I could break the silent stare contest the other party uttered words that shocked the breath out of my body.

- How the mighty warlock has waited for his precious king - these words were said without breaking eye contact so the stranger obviously saw the shock in my face and my eyes opening as big as saucers.

My surprise was quiet normal though; after all I thought that the magic world was either extinct or very close to it. I knew there was a possibility that some wizards still lived out there hiding from the scrutiny of this new age, an age where the word magic had become nothing more than a title for petty tricks and public entertainment, an age where anything different was put on an observation table and hacked to pieces until all its secrets were revealed for everyone to see, in an age like this it would be no wonder for magic to be abandoned by all its users. And yet here was this guy who, by his words, has something to do with magic, and not only that, he also knows of my past. This was extremely surprising, not because my past was unknown, after all there were more versions of the story than I could possibly recall, I have read as many as I could find and in a way it moved me a little inside the way in which we had survived all these years on these stories. Unfortunately, every single version was off the mark, I have yet to find one that described what really happened or even one that reflected any of the participants accurately for who they were, every version portrayed us as either too flawed or too perfect. Lastly, there is the fact that not a single version mentions the waiting part, so how did this guy know?

- Who are you, what do you know about me? - this is the first sentence have spoken in more than I can remember, and yet hearing my voice so rough, so parched, so unlike the human sound I used to produce once upon a time, was more than a little surprising.

When he heard my response the stranger smiled like he had just been given a Christmas present, I couldn't help but notice that the bright smile only made this stranger even more attractive than he already was.

- Who I am doesn't matter right now, what matters is the information I have to deliver and that you just confirmed you are the person who needs that information - the stranger kept smiling but this only made me more frustrated, I was not in the mood for games, I haven't been for the last thousand years or so.

- What information? - in this voice it sounded more like a grunt but I didn't mind, I wanted it to sound menacing, I wanted this stranger to be serious.

- The time for waiting is over - at this I couldn't help but stare daggers into the stranger, was this supposed to be a bad joke? a prank? a trap? No matter the reason it was extremely offensive and I knew I didn't have to answer, my face was showing exactly what I was thinking.

- I can see you don't believe me, but I can prove it to you. Your choices are simple, if you come with me now your life will change in ways you can't even imagine. If you don't there is the possibility you might never get a chance to see him again. The question is, are you willing to take that chance? - Without waiting for an answer the stranger stood up and started slowly walking towards the exit.

If this guy knew as much as he showed he did then he was referring to my king, and no, I was not willing to take that chance no matter how small the possibilities. And even if this was a trap, which in my mind was the most likely possibility even though it shouldn't since all my enemies should have died long ago, I knew my magic wouldn't fail me even if it was, it had surfaced every time my life was in danger so it would most likely come to me the moment I was surrounded by threats. So I got up, strapped on my satchel and quickly walked until I was walking besides this person who claimed he could make my dream come true. When the stranger saw me he flashed another smile and speed up his walk.

In the little trip across town I noticed that people didn't give a second glance to this person wearing a cloak in the middle of the summer so I assumed that this guy leading me to who knows where must be using the same magic that I took advantage of in my everyday life to stay unnoticed. We finally arrived at one of the new buildings in the edge of town and went in, the guard at the door probably didn't even see us as we slipped inside. We walked through a couple of halls and came to a stop in front of a door that would have looked exactly like the others except for the fact that it was painted a deep red, had no door knob, and that there was a metal dragon head right in the center. I could feel it deep in my bones, this door had magic in it, very powerful magic. That was when my guide knocked three times and the eyes of the dragon opened, inside the lids there was only more metal but I could feel its "look" directed at his guide.

- Marcus - so this was the stranger's name, also, the powerful voice that came from the metallic mouth, though somehow distorted was slightly familiar to me, but I could not place from where, maybe just someone from the radio one of the librarian always had on - How is the search go... You found him! - now I could feel the "look" completely concentrated on me, and the features of the metal head changed slightly to make some kind of expression but I couldn't discern exactly what it was.

- Yes, and now I'm going to show him. Go to my office as soon as you can and wait there, he'll need you - with these words I saw how Marcus' face got a very serious, determined look.

- Of course, I'll be there - then the metal head closed its eyes and its features went back to neutral, as this changed happened the red door opened by itself as if inviting all who saw it to enter the wolf's mouth.

Without a word of explanation Marcus stepped through the door and into the hall that lay beyond the door, I followed. The moment my body crossed the threshold I knew I was not in England any more. It was like being suddenly submerged in water, I could feel it hitting me from all sides, magic, in every direction, in so many different types, so much magic after being aware of only my own for so long that for a few seconds it was so overwhelming that I almost lost consciousness. Marcus did not stop, though, and I knew that I had no time to ponder what exactly it was I was feeling, so I kept walking behind the person who might indeed be able to show me things I couldn't possibly imagine, but could he really make my dream come true, could he give me the only thing I truly desire out of this universe? No, if I believe the lies now it will only make it that much harder to accept reality when I am faced with it.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again. Here is a question that has been bothering me: Are the chapters too long, too short? Please leave an answer and enjoy this chapter. Hearts and kisses to you all.

We kept walking, and walking, and walking until I thought we had gone across a couple of cities and started to wonder how big a place needed to be to have so many halls. My first impression had actually been wrong, these halls were not like the ones from the building with the red door, these ones seemed much more elegant and pleasing than the others, why? I didn't know, and I had no time to think about it because Marcus moved faster with each step he took. When Marcus finally stopped it was in front of a door colored a smooth green like some of the others we had passed, i should also mention that the only red door had been the one with the dragon head in it and the only one like that I had seen had been the one we used. When Marcus entered the room I followed without thinking and so was taken aback with the situation I saw myself in. The room was small and had a couple of comfortable chairs but nothing more, on the opposite wall to the one with the door we used was another door and the wall had a big window in the middle, through the window I saw an immense auditorium filled with people, more people than I had seen in practically all of my life gathered in that room, and all of them were looking at me. When Marcus saw my reaction to the view he proceeded to explain.

- This is a two way mirror, you can see all of them but all they can see is a mirror -

Of course, it was obvious if I looked carefully, the people on the other side were not looking at me, they were looking at the person a little way in front of the mirror, whose back was to us and by his movement seemed to be giving a speech. It would have also been obvious if they had seen us, I have no doubt that there would have been some kind of reaction to a dirty, shriveled old man appearing in what was obviously, according to the fancy suits and dresses, a very formal meeting.

- So? - I wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery as soon as I could and get back to a quiet and secluded corner but the man besides me was just looking at me with an expectant expression on his face.

- Look - was the simple answer I received and yet I decided to comply.

I looked over the people present on the humongous space in front of me, I awkwardly skimmed through their faces, analyzed their clothes, noticed the booklets they all had which contained only the word welcome in the front, I saw how some were uncomfortable being in the big crowd, how others chitchatted with the people besides them, and how some were even dozing off. I noticed most of the people in the seats were young, varying from 17 to 20, and the people standing in the front, their backs to me, were older and looked much more professional. There were a couple of conclusions I could make from this, but nothing really jumped out at me, nothing grand or enlightening although I had this vague feeling that I was missing the elephant in the room, I once again decided to ignore my instinct and go for the fast answer.

- People, that's all I see people and more people - Marcus looked frustrated with my answer

- No! no, I'm not telling you to look at the crowd, I'm telling you to look at the individuals, not what they are doing or what they are wearing but who they are, how they really are inside. I know you can do this, try again and this time allow yourself to really see them -

I tried, and he was right. This time I really looked, and I saw something that never crossed my mind once in these thousands of years. I saw them, all of them, the faces were all a little different and yet the same if you knew both. The moment I realized what I was looking at my head and eyes began moving at a frantic speed looking for the one face that would make my world start spinning again, the one face that would make everything alright once again. And I found him, sitting right there on the front row, besides his father and a beautiful woman I did not recognize.

No! This is simply too much for anyone to receive, impossible, a cosmic joke messing with my senses, playing with me. My tears started falling without permission, rolling down my old face, dragging some of the dirt on my skin in their way down, if this was not him then when the sick joke was over I would probably end up more mentally crippled than I already was, more than I could probably handle.

That is when my magic, which I now understood had never been gone but rather trapped inside a mental prison that I myself had created, burst out from inside me and went and wrapped itself around this person who looked so much like him. Now I could sense him, not just what was on the surface, but also what was inside, his essence , the very energy which made him everything he is, everything he always was, and everything he would always be, and it was undeniable.

This was him, my prince, my King, MY Arthur, the one for whom I have waited a millennia and would wait an infinity more. As this realization took hold all of my mental shields crumbled down and I fell to my knees, the ever present pain was gone and in its place all my feelings came crashing down on me, I now understood that I had done this to keep myself sane, and I could feel them again, those I called my old ghosts, no longer in my body they were back in my heart and there they met a light that extinguished them, like a match dropped in the middle of the ocean they stood no chance against the happiness, the relief, and all the other beautiful things that had been revived in my heart, revived merely by his presence. The tears falling down my face were not from pain, they weren't tears of regret or sadness, they were tears I hadn't cried for more than a millennia, tears of happiness. Somewhere in my mind an echo from the past screamed at me:

"I don't want you to change"

Without realizing it my old skin crumbled to dust and my body went back from looking like an 80 years old man to look like that of a 19 years old boy. The feelings in my heart were overwhelming me and it was affecting my magic, where it had been a soft, undetectable magic to sense at first it was now becoming a protective, possessive magic, more of a shield to protect him against any harm the world might want to cause him, and I didn't care, I had lost him once and in this very moment I promised the universe and whoever might be listening that never again. My magic was also becoming noticeable, in a few seconds everyone in that room that had magic would notice. I felt a hand in my shoulder and realized that Marcus was injecting his magic into my body to stop what I was doing. I knew I could stop him, send him flying across the room and disable him for a while, I knew that right now I could fight the world and come out victorious, but I didn't, I couldn't, this man had been true to his word, he had given me the single one thing that I wanted from this world, how could I possibly harm him after that?

- Lets go before they find us - Now I could see that though it seemed as if nothin was wrong, there were some people moving around the huge room looking worriedly around.

I suddenly found myself exhausted both mentally and physically, I wasn't able to stand on my own, Marcus realized the inconvenience and hooked one of my arm around his shoulder and, holding me by the hip, was able to stand me up and take me out of the room before they started searching there. Before we were out of the room I caught a last glimpse and saw some of the faces I had recognized when I thought it was all a dark joke, now I couldn't help but become elated at seeing their faces because, more likely than not, it was them, still, I couldn't help but ask.

- It's ok, I can walk. Was that really them? All of them? - At that Marcus let go of me and gave me another of his bright smiles.

- Anyone you might have recognized was probably exactly who you thought they were. We don't know why but they all decided to reincarnate at the same time. But don't worry about any of that right now, when we get to my office I'll explain everything, just try to recover while we walk -

I knew I couldn't recover from a thousand years of trauma with just a walk but I would try my best. I still couldn't get the picture out of my mind, I didn't know if I wanted to in case I forgot, and it wasn't just Arthur, it was all of them, the joy had only increased with each new face, Gwen, Elyan, Lancelot, Percival, Gawain, Leon, even Morgana had only made me happier. It was so much for me to take in, too much in fact, my mind was in absolute chaos.

While my mind had been reminiscing and trying to get itself in order we had arrived at what I supposed was the entrance to Marcus' office, this time we had taken what seemed to be an elevator. Marcus turned to face me and said

- I knew you would be overwhelmed at this point so I decided to call in some of your friends who could give you moral support, I just hope this doesn't make it worse - as he finished with that last part sounding like it was more for himself than for me he opened the door, we both walked in, and soon after, my mind was once again thrown into chaos.

Inside, a man and a girl stood up from the couch they were sitting on, as a side thought I noticed that the office was a very cozy place. The man was tall with a slight muscular build, had a deeply tanned skin, a very handsome face with shining golden eyes and silver, hip length hair tied back in a ponytail, he was wearing a black tuxedo with red tie. Though he only seemed only 40 yeas old, I got a sense that this man had seen centuries pass him by, something told me that this man was normally very serious, and yet he seemed very happy to see both of us walking into the office. The girl on the other hand was petite and beautiful, had very pale skin, her eyes were a captivating azure blue and she had a head full of golden locks that looked to be all over the place and yet came together to form a perfectly beautiful hairdo, she was wearing a white European dress that was perfectly decorated and in one hand held a white umbrella. When we walked into the room the girl made it a point to avoid eye contact with me, I made nothing of it, after all I still had the dirt and smell of a homeless man on me. What I didn't understand was that the girl looked kind of guilty, ashamed even. When Marcus had said friends I thought there would be familiar faces involved, still, I couldn't recognize either of the two standing in front of me.

- So, who are they again? - At this the girl lowered her head and the tall man gave a slight smile in my direction and said

- Do you not recognize me because it has been so long or because I look so different young warlock? No, wait, that title has been long outdated, hasn't it old friend? -


	4. Chapter 4

Well, here is the next chapter. I know things have started a little slow, but bear with me, I expect there to be a lot of action in the future but I do have to build up to it. Enjoy.

- So, who are they again? - At this the girl lowered her head and the tall man gave a slight smile in my direction and said

- Do you not recognize me because it has been so long or because I look so different young warlock? No, wait, that title has been long outdated, hasn't it old friend? –

Chapter 4

I don't know what exactly it was that finally made the connection, was it the voice? The words? The fact that this was the same voice I had heard the dragon head in the red door speak with along with some static? Whatever it was, it fit, as incredible and impossible and unbelievable as it was, something me that was not to be denied was screaming that this was without a doubt my oldest and possibly wisest mentor.

-Kilgharrah?!... But...!You look...! That's...! How?! - My thoughts were all jumbled together into one big mess and I just couldn't finish one idea before jumping into the other, this was all just too much to take in for one day.

- Is the how truly more important than the is? - The warm smile I received would have been lost on the features of the great dragon, and yet were clear as day on this human face that was looking at me as if seeing a long lost grandson return alive from a war that thought him dead.

I couldn't help but throw myself at my old teacher, I hugged him hard, and started crying all over again. I knew that the people I had seen before on the large auditorium, though very familiar and heartwarming to me, would most likely not have a single clue of who I was, but Kilgharrah was different, he was the great dragon and I felt that this was not a reincarnation, even if he did look different there was no doubt in my mind that this was the same dragon that had said his goodbyes in front of lake Avalon. He knew, he knew what I went through all those years ago, he knew exactly how long I had been waiting, he even knew of all the sacrifices I made back in Camelot.

Back when Kilgharrah had the body of a dragon this hug would have been practically impossible, and not just in the physical sense, but also in the emotional sense. Back then there had always been the tension between a dragon lord and a dragon, I had the power to submit the great dragon to my will, and even though he had always seemed willing to help, in my mind there had always been the doubt that maybe he did help because he had no other choice. But at the very end, when I had been so devastated that I couldn't possibly have been able to give Kilgharrah another order, when it seemed most likely for both that we would never see each other again, when Kilgharrah could have done anything, laugh at me, criticize me, thrown in my face how this had all happened because I didn't heed the dragon's advice, he didn't. In those last moments all the dragon did was show kindness and express his regret that we would never see each other again, so perhaps this time around, now that we were a bit more alike, we could truly become friends. By the way that Kilgharrah was hugging me back and giving me a melancholic smile I think that perhaps he wants the same thing.

When I stopped my tears and finally stepped away from the hug I looked at the other mystery left on the room, the girl standing beside the great dragon. Now that I could see her up close I knew that the girl, who couldn't possibly be more than 30, was definitely avoiding eye contact with him, and it wasn't my smell, otherwise she would have leaned away from me rather than towards me while looking even a little scared. Also, the expression on her face was definitely a mix of feeling with shame being the most prominent one. And then pieces of the puzzle finally came together in my mind, the pale skin, the shame in her face, the simple fact that she didn't even flinch when she heard the name of the great dragon and yet seemed so comfortable standing beside him.

- Aithusa.- I couldn't help saying this with a loving voice and a smile in my face. This is not any dragon, this is my dragon, I brought her to life and named her, to me she is practically my daughter.

This time it was the dragon that, after hearing her name being said in such a way by someone she loved so much and yet had hurt so deeply, couldn't help but hug Merlin as close as she could and cry.

- Merlin!... I'm so sorry!... I didn't mean!... I didn't want!... - Her voice was beautiful, it was the first time I was hearing it and I realized that even while crying her voice was smooth and soothing. Where Kilgharrah's voice was like that of an immortal tree giving wise advice to those smart enough to ask, Aithusa's was more like an infinite river whispering soft and beautiful secrets to those who were brave enough to came close. And yet, she sobbed out each word with so much pain that it broke my heart.

- No, shush. Don't cry, it wasn't your fault, none of it was. Everything's ok so you don't need to cry.- I felt bad, I didn't like making people cry, even less this girl who I didn't really know and yet felt like we had been family for an eternity.

- Everything's all right Ai. Merlin is right, what happened back then was not your fault.- Then Marcus turned to me looking very serious and continued. - You do understand, don't you Merlin? That what happened was no one's fault, that it all went the way it did because of everyone's individual choices and not because of a single one person or group? -

Marcus had sat down on a chair and Aithusa had stopped crying but didn't break the hug, we moved together and sat down on the couch facing Marcus, Kilgharrah squeezed himself next to me and looked very proud of himself for accomplishing it. I took a few minutes before I finally answered the question.

- Yes, I've known for a while now. In all this time I have gone through what happened countless times and thought about it to no end. I came up with the conclusion that it was all circumstantial. At first I wanted to blame it all on someone so that I didn't feel like it had been me that failed, and I did, for a long time I blamed it on so many different people, dumped all the responsibility on them and just hated them until I just couldn't any more and had to switch to another because reason got a hold of me, but then some things happened to me and I was able to put it all in perspective and realized that if I blamed one person I also had to blame everyone else equally. It was everyone's fault, which is to say it was no ones fault.- It wasn't easy to talk about it but it was a relief getting it out my chest, my throat was also enjoying the exercise and my old voice was coming back.

- Good - the smile in Marcus' face told me he was pleased with my answer - I suppose it is time for a good, long explanation of what is happening and where exactly it is you are -

- No.- It was Kilgharrah interrupting the conversation. - It will be better if we ease into it slowly, and there are things in need of urgent attention right now.- At this all three faces looked at Kilgharrah with curiosity, but it was I that broke the silence.

- Like? - I mean, what could possibly be more important than an explanation to why all the mess in my life was coming together to form something so incredible?

- Like a long warm bath, a change of clothes, and some decent food.- As if giving approval to these words my stomach grumbled loudly. Hunger, now there is one I didn't miss too much. I also had to admit, I was really dirty compared to those around me and had left some of the dirt on Kilgharrah's tux and poor Aithusa, who was still hugging me, was going to have a ruined dress on her hands.

While I lowered my head in embarrassment the others in the room smiled and Marcus agreed with the idea. The moment we decided I would take a bath first Aithusa jumped up with an exited look on her face and dragged me to the bathroom that was connected to the office by a door. Before the door closed I heard Marcus say:

- I'll make a few calls for the food, the clothes, and an extra one to fix the mess in the entrance ceremony with the king's son.-

- They must be quite confused since you used your magic to hide his.- After hearing Kilgharrah chuckle the door closed and I could hear nothing else.

Even though I have never taken a bath in a bathroom like this one, I know what most of the products are used for thanks to a few magazines I read back when there was nothing else in the library that I hadn't read, but I did not have the heart to tell Aithusa. She was excitedly pointing at each bottle and explaining what kind of wonders each one could do for me. This was more like the Aithusa that I had first seen right out of the egg, a free spirit in a wide world, and less like the Aithusa I had last seen, a free spirit that had been trapped for longer than anyone who values freedom should. It made me happy to see that she had healed from her old wounds.

When she finally stepped out I got rid of my clothes and got into the bath tub full of warm water. I allowed the warm water wash away all of the dirt on my skin and the thoughts that were creating chaos in my mind and consent rated only on the effect the warmth had on my muscles and on getting myself clean. When I finished a while later I felt new, fresh, to me it felt like the water and different products had washed away all of those years now behind me, like they were only a bad dream now fading to nothingness, but my stomach was not to be denied any longer so it gave another loud grumble. Even if there was no one else in the room I still blushed bight red, it was nice to have my healthy dose vanity back.

I found a change of new clothes besides the door and smiled as I put them on. It had been so long since I had used clothes that fit me, that were actually comfortable, and that didn't make me itch all over, that I had completely forgotten just how good it felt.

As I opened the door and entered the office a moan escaped my mouth. The smell! Oh god the smell! It made my mouth water and my stomach whimper. Without even asking permission I sat in front of the center table and started eating off the platters that had been set up with a varied selection of delicacies, I thanked the skies that I was lucid enough to keep my table side manners from embarrassing me. The food was absolutely delicious but this renewed body of mine was overwhelmed by the simplest of flavors and now that I could really enjoy each spoon-full I had lost my ability to tell exactly what I was eating, maybe that was an ability that came with being a robot-like entity, if so, I did not mind losing it at all.

After finishing, while I allowed all the food I had ingested to settle in my stomach, I noticed that everyone in the room was smiling at me and from the bottom of my heart I could smile back honestly. I was starting to notice that both Kilgharrah and Aithusa were spotlessly clean again even though they seemed to be wearing the same clothes, when Marcus broke the comfortable silence.

- Now?- Both Kilgharrah and Aithusa nodded at this so he turned to face me. - Go to the window and tell me what you see outside.-

Window? I hadn't noticed the window before, but then again I hadn't notice pretty much anything before. The office wasn't just cozy, now that I looked around I could see that this was the dwelling of someone who liked whatever it was he did here, there was a table with some open books and some papers in it, in the middle of the room there was a center table surrounded by a couch and some chairs, the rest of the space was covered by shelves full of books, some looked new, and others as old as the world, but none of them had a speck of dust anywhere near them, it was as if all these books were used at least once every week.

When I reached the window I looked out and saw a beautiful city. Even though we were in what appeared to be around the tenth floor, from where I stood the end of the city was not visible except for a forest that was to the side. The whole thing looked clean and spacious but there was something there, something I couldn't quite wrap my head around. But it was all so normal, the houses, the forest, the parks, the floating island,... Wait! What?! Is that really a floating island with a castle floating in the sky?! Yes, unless my eyes are lying to me there is a big chunk of land the size of a football field floating above the city! Wait, then that means that those cars I see over there are really flying! that tree is really walking by itself! there really are some people on top of those clouds!

I could see that all the things I had originally attributed to my imagination were true, I realized that it truly was magic that I had felt when I had stepped through the door, and now that I saw the occasional flashes of light all around the city I understood in exactly what kind of place I was but didn't only want to know the what. I turned around with my mouth hanging open and slowly formed the word.

- How?-

- I don't think we have had a proper introduction.- Marcus started with a wide grin in his face. - I am Marcus Dracoville, and this - He used his hands to gesture all around him and his smile grew bigger. - This is the first Great Magic City, Albion!


	5. Chapter 5

- This is the first Great Magic City, Albion!-

Chapter 5

- Albion?! What do you mean Albion?! Why did you use that name? And first?! Does that mean there is more than one?! Explain yourself, Please!- That name stung a little more than it should have, it wasn't surprising though, after all it represented my biggest failure.

- Calm down Merlin, that is exactly the reason why we are here, to make everything clear. Sit down.- He was right, standing was only making me hot in the head, so I sat.- I'll start by answering your last question. Yes, this is indeed the first, but by far it is not the last of the magic cities, I'll expand a bit more on this later. Regarding your first, why we named this city Albion, the answer is simply that this is Albion, the united lands under the once and future king.-

- But that's wrong, Arthur died, he was never able to unite Albion!-

- Arthur did die, Merlin, but his ideals did not and neither did his actions. This city lives under the ideals of its founders.- I was dumbstruck, what kind of nonsense was this guy speaking?- I see you don't understand, I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning-

- Weeks within Arthur's death and your disappearance every land around Camelot had heard of the brave king, his adventures, and his untimely death. What shook everyone, though, was the fact that Camelot, famous for their prejudice against magic had allied themselves with a powerful warlock who the Druids spoke of in such high regard, somehow the prophecies found their way around the lands and everyone found out about the future that Arthur, the Once and Future King, was supposed to bring. The prophecies spoke of such peace and prosperity on the grounds of the promised Albion that many mourned a King they had never known, and even the lords of the surrounding lands did not dare attack Camelot in fear of rebellions in their own kingdoms. What most didn't know was what was happening at Camelot behind the scenes.-

- You see, when Queen Guinevere found out about all the hardships you had gone through besides her beloved, she made an ironclad resolution with herself, that she would not allow your efforts and Arthur's to be in vain. She went by herself and met with the Druids, she proposed to them an incredible idea, now that you two had done the hard work, now that you had proved that there were people willing to fight and die for a land of peace, it was left to them to do the easy work. After much action by the queen they all agreed to unite the lands of Albion, not a land conquered by force and blood, not a land for those who didn't need it, rather, a land of peace for the oppressed and persecuted, a land of wonders for those who lived in a constant nightmare, a land of magic for those who had magic, a secluded paradise from the rest of the cruel, judging world. The queen wanted a place like this so that there would be no more mages like you, Merlin, no more potential wasted by hiding their gifts in fear of prejudice or even death, no more threats to innocent lives who were guilty only of being born different, special. No more secrets between friends just because of an unreasonable law.- my eyes stung, I was not unfamiliar to Gwen's kindness and yet, after all these years, she could still bring me to the edge between sadness and joy.

- That is how Albion came to be, and at first it was difficult, we were only a little village in the middle of a forest that the queen had set aside for us. Try to imagine it, we were just a few people in an unknown land, we could not provide for ourselves and so for the first couple of years our sustenance came directly from Camelot. Eventually, though, we started to like it, we started to enjoy the peace and security that this secret place could give us, people started to see the advantages, the children were the first to start using magic without fear, but soon we all followed. We had all lived with the same fears, but we had all become used to hiding, the Druids, which never denied who they were even in the most dangerous situation and had mostly been living on the run since the day they had been born, were the ones who eventually came to appreciate the safe haven the most. Yes, we started to get over our fear of using magic, and when we finally did we found that we could do so much more than we had ever done, so much more than had ever been allowed. The first step was our expansion into every corner of that forest we had been granted, we became familiar with the land and discovered a million possibilities hidden in the earth, within weeks we were already producing all we needed to survive and more than a few commodities. The members of our community were becoming more outgoing and we were all becoming familiar, using our magic to its full potential was becoming an everyday thing and we realized that every passing day we became stronger. Every other week we also got a person or a group of wizards who had sought help from the queen, and they were all properly welcomed into the forest. We were happy with our new home.-

- Then the outside world took a turn for the worse, the hunt for magic users suddenly became more arduous and hundreds of us were dying every day, the only ones who escaped were those fortunate enough to find their way into Albion, we practically became extinct on the outside world but our community rose incredibly in numbers, and it wasn't just people from the areas affected by the hunt, it was magic users from all over. We found ourselves a little cramped on the space we had been given and the queen who had by this point been aged by the years without those she loved was sure to pass away soon, this put even the little space we had in question. We decided to do something that had never been done before, to experiment and truly study our powers in order to protect the space we had and, if possible, expand it. It didn't take long to find a long list of ways to repel others from this forest and ways to expand a space and make it bigger, that was when we began to realize that there were so many possibilities for our magic if we put all our heads together and shared our knowledge. Later this ideal would be the foundation for the Albion Academy. That's where we are right now.-

- A school? So those I saw before?- I was still trying to process all the information that had been laid in front of me, but as always my thought were not far from Arthur and all of my old family.

- Yes, that was the entrance ceremony to the second level of the academy, our second level is equivalent to the human world's university level, what you saw through the window was the city and behind us is the academy, it is almost as large as the city itself, but don't worry about the details right now, you'll have to learn all about it later on anyways. For now do you have any questions about the story?-

- Too many, but for now just tell me where exactly on the map we are, I don't recognize any of the views.- Marcus smiled widely at this question.

- We didn't come up with this until about three hundred years after Albion Academy was opened, but to answer your question... We are not on any map. We aren't even in the same universe we were before.- my surprised expression was a bit humorous to the others but they did not laugh so they wouldn't make me embarrassed. - Let me make it simple to understand, imagine the universe is an infinite balloon, all we did was pinch a piece of that balloon, make a small one, and separate it from the big one. It took a long time and a quite a bit of magic but it was well worth it.-

- But... The red door?-

- That is how we travel between this city and the human world, we have one of those doors in about every city that has a modern building in it. The doors connect to the only pathway that exists between us and using them is very difficult and consuming so it is well regulated. Kilgharrah here is the door keeper, only he can open the doors and he'll only do it if you have the appropriate identification, even right now he is probably having a couple of mental conversations with people trying to cross the doors.- Kilgharrah nodded while smiling at this.

- What you've given me... This is just... Too much. - Sure, I could store information better than a super computer, but even for me it was difficult when I was told so many things, where each of those things could bring me to my knees with tears in my eyes. - So we didn't fail...? He didn't die in vain that day...? - my voice had become almost pleading and Marcus responded with a soft, caring voice.

- Of course not. You two were the heroes who made this safe haven possible. I know that he would have been able to do many great things if he had lived, but even by dying he was able to bring upon so much peace and prosperity, if not for him we would be extinct, lab rats, or horribly prosecuted on today's world. And this isn't my personal opinion, your names appear on every single history book on Albion and even on those of all the other magic cities, the stories are not perfectly accurate, the writers decided not to pass on most of the hardships you personally went through, but the truth is clear, you two were the beginning of something unimaginable. An important lesson we teach in Albion is to never forget those that came before us, there is always something to learn, both from their failures and their success. That was the reason for which your statues were erected. -

- What statues?! - Even in between all the confusion I couldn't help the surprise in my face.

The real startle came when Aithusa jumped up from my side, where she had latched herself to my arm, and started giving little jumps of excitement with an expression that would lead you to believe she was about to get her Christmas present.

- Can I show him?! Please Marcus, pretty please?! - She was batting her eyelashes at Marcus and trying her best to look like an innocent child when a loud sight came from Marcus' chair.

- Fine, you can show him, but remember, Merlin just got here so try not to overwhelm him, keep him away from people he shouldn't meet for now, and come straight back here after you show him. - This time he turned to look at me. - And Merlin, if you do meet anyone at all, you are Merlin Dracoville my distant cousin, that should be enough to stop most of the questions.- So this was who I would be from now on... Well, it sure was better than being no more than a ghost wandering around.- Remember that no one should know that you are "the" Merlin, it would bring more trouble than any of us can handle.-

I didn't want to look at the teeth of the gift horse, but there was one last question prickling at my mind, one piece of the puzzle that didn't quite fit.

- I'm wondering, by what you've said I'm guessing that only the people in this room know who I am, and putting that down together with the way you told the story, as if you had seen it all happen. I can't help but wonder, Who are you? - I immediately noticed how the others in the room, even if ever so slightly, tensed at my question. The answer I was about to receive was either a lie, or no answer at all.

- For now that's not important, I'm just your long lost cousin and that is all anyone needs to know. We'll eventually talk about the details, but not now, not today-

Before the first complain even came out of my mouth I was forcefully dragged out of the room by an Aithusa who was way too cheery after the tense moment. Before I could retaliate against the lithe tornado that was dragging me away by the arm, I saw in her eyes that she was honestly that excited to show me whatever it was that we were about to see, and all I could really do make myself not feel guilty about her past was try to keep up with her speed walking.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

These halls really were different, now that I was in my right mind and could appreciate them I could see the slight glow the walls had. It was as if the cool breeze that caressed my skin was not coming from the windows that were too high up to see, rather, it was an ever present wind that I would have bet was coming from the walls. Sooner than expected we were once again in front of one of the red doors. Aithusa gave a light knock and the metal head opened its eyes, one look at us and Kilgharrah's voice simply said.

- Go ahead- It's eyes closed and the door opened.

Beyond the door was a city, to someone seeing it for the first time it would have looked like a normal city, full of ordered chaos. People walking in all directions, everyone waving hellos and goodbyes at every passerby as if they all knew each other, the owners of vendor carts announcing their products with smiles and joyous screams, the diverse buildings and shops that were all around, everything perfectly normal until I got over the shock of getting back to civilization and actually feeling like part of it. But then I looked around, and then I really started to see the merchandise being sold, the different books and apparatuses behind the glass windows of the shops, the small details that should not be there, that was when you realized that this city was far from normal. From weird little things that I couldn't fathom what they could have possibly have been used for, the pets running around which were some of familiar breeds and others of species that I had never heard of, the floating multicolored lights that were hovering on top of several carts and houses, and even drawings that I saw moving around in the walls of some houses, it was all simply incredible. The again, I wasn't really able to see much of the rest, like the street performers we passed by here and there doing things that would blow anyone's mind, I so wanted to stop and watch, but Aithusa wouldn't have any of it, she dragged me through the busy streets with such speed that most of the unimaginable things around us became smudges of color in my view.

When she finally stopped at a place that was mostly devoid of people I couldn't help but keep looking at the path we had come from, I very much wanted to go back and bathe in the glow that everyone we had passed seemed to have, to feel others rushing around me, to feel the occasional bump and hear the hurried but honest apology that always followed, to make sure that this was not all a dream, to assure myself that all of it would not just disappear into smoke the moment I finally accepted it as truth. But then again I was holding on to the most undeniable truth at the moment, Aithusa's arm around my own. I finally turned to look at her, she was looking straight ahead and her face was a mixture of proudness and satisfaction at what she saw. Curiosity took a hold of me and I turned to look in the same direction she was looking, and then I saw it.

If I had not been so distracted by the little details around the city, I would have probably seen it since the moment we stepped through the doorway, after all the biggest house we had passed was at most three or four stories high, no real big buildings, just wide ones, but the monuments in front of me were as tall as a skyscraper. There was a wall, at least as tall as a two stories house, in front of us was the entrance, an arc as big as the wall and as wide as it was tall, and on top, inscribed in the language of magic that came so easy to me as if I had known it from the moment I was born, were the elegant words: Albion Academy. Beyond the entrance were buildings, so many buildings that i couldn't detect which was first and which was the farthest my eyes could reach, and each as different from the other as an elephant and a mouse. There were castles of different types, flamboyant mansions and simpler ones, some buildings that actually looked like schools, and each of the buildings looked as if they had all come from a different country, a different time period, or a different civilization from the others. I could even see a pyramid in the distance for God's sake! But, though absolutely mind blowing, these were not what impressed and took hold of my complete attention.

All of these marvels of architecture fell short to the two statues standing on the sides of the entrance. All the other things were noticed after the statues, what first registered in my mind was how big these two monsters were. The wall, which was easily three times my height, only reached the back of the statues knees. These two statues were quite intimidating and I thought that the sight of these two statues alone would be enough to send the bravest of enemies crying back to their mamas. They were both made of what looked to be the whitest marble that I had ever seen and I could have bet that I saw the statues shining now and then. The statue on the left looked exactly like my 80 years old self wearing a long cloak that covered its whole body, a book on the left hand and a staff that looked exactly like my own on the right. Back in my past life I had thought that I looked kind of funny and ridiculous when I turned into Dragoon, but now, standing below the imposing statue, which had such a determined look on its face, I felt like showing respect and taking a step back. The statue on the right of the archway was none other than the Once and Future King, my King. Arthur was wearing his battle gear, his chain mail, boots, cape, everything that I had helped him put on once upon a time. On his right hand was a sword that looked so very much like Excalibur, and in his left a shield. Though the faces were not perfectly accurate, it was obvious who they were supposed to be and if there had been any doubt the plates in which each were standing would have been enough to confirm the identities, the plate on the left had the inscription "Merlin, Emrys the wise." And the one on the right: "Arthur, The Once and Future King."

This time I held my tears at bay, I would not cry in public, I would not embarrass Aithusa, but even with all my will power focused on that one task the emotions were too strong and a sob still escaped my mouth. Aithusa looked at me with a slight smile and hugged me without a care for what others might think, this was, after all, her "father". Holding my tears back and with my eyes still on the statues, I returned the affectionate hug.

I just couldn't help the happiness that was coursing through my veins and exploring every part of my body, if we had not been in a public place I knew that I would have probably laughed and cried and thrown myself on the floor and rolled around trying to express just what I was feeling. We had not failed, it had all been for something, all the sacrifices, all the sadness, all the evils, they had all been for the sake of this place rather than just for the sake of just our deaths. This made everything better, it made everything worth it, if all the bad things had to happen in order for this place to be born then I didn't mind how it had all gone to hell at the end. Sure, I still would have liked for things to have been different, but at least now I could completely come to terms with it, I could forgive myself along with everyone else and finally leave the past behind. Now that that the past was truly behind, perhaps it was time I allowed myself to start a new life.

- And who could this gentleman who's holding you so close be?-

Yes, accepted, accepted but never forgotten, and that is why I couldn't help the cold shiver that ran up my spine and the fear that gripped my heart when these words reached my ears. It wasn't the words themselves, of course, it was that smooth elegant and polite voice from my past, that same voice that had cursed at my loved ones so many times and had issued the death of innocents left and right. I also couldn't help how my magic build up inside me with every intention of lashing out, after all I had just been surprised in a vulnerable state by a voice standing behind me, the voice that belonged to the one person from my past that I wouldn't put past ripping my heart out where I stood. Aithusa had tensed around me and since it happened in the middle of a hug it was more like she was holding on to me. In the back of my mind I understood that this was so I wouldn't do anything stupid, but in that moment I was being controlled by my old habits, all reason and thought had gone out the window. And so it was that I started turning around with the intention of locating the threat while dragging Aithusa with me, but as I finally caught a glimpse of her, it all disappeared into nothingness, the fear, the anger, the magic building up inside of me, it all simply dissipated.

This was Morgana, of that I had no doubt, but she was not "that" Morgana, this girl in front of me was not "the witch", as everyone who knew her evil persona had called her in those last days. No, this was the Morgana I had met all those years ago when I first stepped into Camelot, this was the kind, forgiving Morgana that I had seen fight against injustice so many times without a care for her well-being or fear of going against her king. Yes, although I could see it all there, the mischief, the rebellious personality, and most of all the proud way in which she stood, as if challenging the world to go against her, all that made her the Morgana loved by all, she had obviously never been through the horrible events that gave birth to the Morgana that was full of hate.

A pang of quilt ran through me. Yes, this girl had probably never been poisoned by someone she considered her friend.

This was good; it meant that this Morgana was still an innocent girl who could still live a peaceful life rather than becoming a murderous monster starving for revenge against the wrong people. And still I could not silence the little voice at the back of my mind, screaming at me of the future that could be, of how Morgana could turn out at the end. No, pretending to know the future had ruined my life once already, I knew better than to make the same mistake. I would make sure that things did not crumble down this time, no matter what it took; I would make sure that they ALL had a happy ending this time around.

In the couples of minutes it took me to process all of this Morgana had clearly become inpatient, she was tapping her foot against the floor with a slightly annoyed look in her face.

- Well? Is anyone going to answer my question?- Aithusa finally looked at me and when I offered her a small smile she understood that I was seeing things for what they were rather than for what they had been.

- I'm Merlin.- I offered her a smile and extended my hand to shake. She looked at my hand curiously, this is the formal salute in the human world, is it different here? Still, she shook my hand, she also did it with a little more force than was necessary, but this must have been in my imagination, why would she want to intimidate me just after meeting me?

- That's bold, the king I understand, but for someone else to name their child after one of the founders... - Her eyes wondered to the statues for a second. Before I could give an answer under the influence of the annoyance that had arisen with the mention of my parents, Aithusa gave Morgana a sharp answer.

- They were not from around here and are both dead, so that was a bit rude.- Morgana, who had never seen Aithusa, the girl who was always there when she needed her, the one who she had bonded so deeply with, even more than with her beloved half-sister, being mad, was shocked into silence. She had always defended Morgana against the world, even when Morgana had obviously been the one to commit the mischief, and now she was defending this boy against her, something she had never done even when she bullied those around her (specially Arthur, that was always fun). Who was this boy?

- I am sorry, even if I didn't know, it was still rude to say that.- Still in shock, the apology came out honestly, after all she did know what it was like to lose both parents.

- No offense taken.- my smile was bright and I held no grudge. I couldn't hold what I felt against in regards to that topic on anyone, after all it had been me who had never once gone back to see my mother. I was taken aback when her eyes became sharp once again.

- So, what type of relationship do you two have?- I looked besides me and Aithusa's apologetic expression put the puzzle together. The hand shake, the way she became more annoyed the longer Aithusa had held on to me, the hint of jealousy in her first question, the way her voice and expression reminded me of a mother giving up her daughter to a man who would take her far away from home, and I found it all so very funny that I finally laughed after a millennia of absent smiles.


End file.
